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This is SO absolutely normal. I have no idea why, but this was my biggest complaint for about 6 months post op. My NP says this is one of the complaints she hears most often, too, so... I balanced it out by exercising more so that my body was tired, taking a warm bath right before bed, shutting off all electronics two hours before bed, blah blah blah. None of that worked. What worked was 1/2 Xanax and/or a small glass of wine once I was cleared for alcohol. And yes, my quack doctor was fine with it.

Hey, Banders!Thanksgiving is behind us and the holiday season is officially underway! Filled with holiday shopping, festivities at work and spending time with friends and family, this time of year is can be the most rewarding. It can be hectic, too, so paying extra attention to your diet and health is even more important than usual. Use this newsletter as a reminder and some motivation to be extra cautious with your choices so that you can keep seeing the results you want from your weight loss journey. Here’s what’s coming up in this newsletter. Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73! Tips for the Season: Thriving at Holiday Parties! Bander Challenge: Activate Your Party Action Plan! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends We know the hustle and bustle of this season make your life busy, but we hope you spend part of your holiday season with us at Alex Brecher Founder LapBandTalk.com Member Spotlight: Meet Mis73! Mis73, aka Missy, is this newsletter’s highlighted member! She’s a 39-year-old Michigander who has fought through obstacles to achieve her current weight loss of 168 pounds. Her high weight was 421 pounds, and her goal weight is 160, at a BMI of 27.5. She has multiple sclerosis and knew that her obesity was making the symptoms worse. So, she decided to get the lap-band and focus on the obesity because that’s something she could control. Missy says that the “biggest difference is, I am happy. I am happier than I have been in literally decades.” She’s gone from needing a handicapped parking pass and a motorized cart for grocery shopping to being able to take her son to the zoo and walk around for hours! Other great moments have been dropping below 300 pounds, fitting into blue jeans for the first time in 20 years, fitting in the seat at her daughter’s band concert and seeing her father’s look of pride and joy after seeing her for the first time – 100 pounds lighter. Missy’s biggest challenge right after surgery was to avoid exacerbating her multiple sclerosis, since symptoms can appear after trauma, such as surgery. Luckily, she was able to avoid a full-blown relapse. Missy used LapBandTalk in the early days for reassurance that her experience was normal. She’s grown to depend on the friends she’s made here and she continues to “offer education and support to others.” She has plenty of advice to offer. She suggests meeting with a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric patients and to keep your food to a cup per meal. Also, learn everything you can about the band: what it is, what it does and how you can succeed with it. Missy, we are so glad that you are finding happiness. We know that it will just get better for you as you keep losing weight, and it’s a pleasure to be able to share in your weight loss journey. Thanks for being in the Member Spotlight! Please post in the Protein snack or two for yourself and eat it when it’s time for your regular meal or snack. You can also take a healthy dish for the host to serve at the party. Sip Water. Carrying a glass of water around gives you something to do without adding any calories to your day. Another benefit of drinking water is that you know you shouldn’t eat solid foods when you’re drinking fluids. Avoid alcohol. Alcohol is a source of calories that you just don’t need. Worse yet is that it lowers your inhibition. That means that you’re less likely to resist unhealthy holiday foods. Bander Challenge: Activate Your Holiday Action Plan! This newsletter’s challenge is related to our advice on holiday parties. The challenge is to choose a specific strategy designed to get you through the holidays without interfering with your weight loss goals. You can take one of the suggestions listed above, or choose your own. Some other ideas are to keep healthy Snacks at work so you’re not tempted by unhealthy snacks and to record each treat that you eat in your food record instead of pretending that it doesn’t count. Tell us in the Bander Challenge Forum how you complete the challenge! Was it easy or difficult? What tips do you have for other LapBandTalk.com members? We also want to know anytime you go back and complete an old Newsletter Challenge, which you can find in the archived Newsletter Forum. It’s never too late to try a Newsletter Challenge! A Big Thank-You to Our Members as 2012 Ends As we close out 2012, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank each member. We truly appreciate your support. We value each member, whether you post many times a day and use all of LapBandTalk.com’s many features, or whether you log in infrequently to read just a few posts. You, the members, are essential to LapBandTalk.com’s success, so a heartfelt thank-you to each of you! 2012 has seen rapid increases in the number of members, the beginning of regular newsletters and the launch of mobile apps to access all of the forum’s features. Big plans are in the works for the coming year, and it promises to be an exciting ride. We’re glad to have you on board! Of course, we’re always open to member suggestions, so please feel free to contact any board administrator. That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We hope it was inspirational and helpful. Have a safe and peaceful holiday season, and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

Well I had the sleeve done - This is the story. Left for Vegas on Tuesday got off the plane and headed for my appointment for Pre-surgery - everything was a go. So my wife and I hit the strip and I played black jack and won.... not much but still won. We ate normal and I did not drink alcohol. Went to bed on time for a 7:00am surgery at a surgery center. We had signed up on one of those package deals where the hotel is included. So we were up and headed to the center (by the way rent a car it is better to have the freedom to go) I went in and filled out some more forms and headed to the prep room. Met the anesthesiologist he went through a few items and the nurses were wonderful. Then I saw my Doctor (Thomas Umbach ) not long after that I was being wheeled to the surgery room. I was give something that made me feel very sleepy but could understand everyone. Then told to breath deeply two breaths and I don?t remember anything except being woke up saying surgery went fine and it is done. This was about 10:30 or so I think. Surgery was about an hour and recovery 2 . I took some pill for pain and they started me walking. It did not hurt to walk so I kept going after hearing everyone on this site telling me how walking really helped. Dr Umbach also installed a pain drip system that hung around my neck and had some small tubes planted around where the surgery took place, with a big ball that would dissipate in 3 days, this provided a pain free experience. I was released at noon to go back to my hotel which I walked and slept and drank water (very very very small sips) the fist night I had some small discomfort felt like acid reflux so I called the doc on his cell phone which was nice about 10pm and he said I could get some pepto or any over the counter acid reducer I wanted. My wife drove out to get it and also got liquid Tylenol which I recommend very much. I burped a lot and had to raise my arms when drinking water to get it down. The doc said for the first day my stomach would be swollen and until it went down it would be a bit tough. It was, but by the end of the next day it eased up. Sleeping and walking is the trick and the Tylenol made everything right as rain. On Friday we went back for a follow up with the doctor, and everything was perfect so we said our good bys and we headed for the Hoover Damn wanted to see it. I even drove ? I don?t feel the surgery hardly at all it is the drinking that lets me know it is there. So we got back from there and got our flight out back to Kansas City ? Because I have traveled so much we both were in first class so that was nice, bigger seats if you know what I mean. This is the first day back home and since the 2 weeks prior with the protein shakes to today I am down 27 lbs. I am just starting to feel hungry this whole time prior I have not had a desire to eat. I have force the drinking because I know that is good for me. I hope this helps with those who have not taken the plunge yet. I plan to keep you up to date on the progress. My doctor told me to walk everyday so my wife and I are headed to the gym in a little while, course I will be on slow mo for a while. Thanks for listening and hope it helps someone else.

I'm a recovering alcoholic ... do the meetings often. It is easy to get your head spinning with all the changes. It helps to have a program of recovery in place. There is a forum here with cross-addiction threads HERE.

Wow, this one is a tough one because I can see it from both sides. I am 50, my husband and I lived for fun on the weekends with our friends. Alcohol was very much part of our social life. My surgery was January and I totally stayed away from any alcohol for 6 months per doc recommendation. It was very different being around the same group of friends, being out on the boat, or camping with our friends without drinking. I did it because I was determined to follow doc advise and like Tiff said above, I did enjoy just being with my friends and hanging out,,, the fellowship of being with friends! Then I tried crystal light with cherry flavored vodka and loved it.. Now I am “almost” at 9 month mark and I have allowed drinking to back into my weekend activities…not smart.. I regret it and my slow weight loss is reflecting it. Summertime boating and camping is done now where I live and I have vowed to get back on track of no alcohol until I reach goal… In hindsight I wish I had never touched the stuff until I reached goal because it does bring in sloppy eating habits as well. For me... although my doc said I could drink after 6 months.. I wish I never had.

The burger doesnt make you fat its the amout you eat , a bite of burger isnt like alice in wounderland getting huge from a cake bite, and about drinking i meant alcohol . So relax and remember the difference between alice in wounderland and real life , welcome to the real world

Congrats on your success so far... Contact your team that handled your surgery if possible and form a plan. Return to nutritional visit if you can, support group if available, then pull out your binder /original plan and see where you are. While at a support group a few weeks ago the topic was regain and how to manage it, these were some of the questions the NUT told everyone to pay attention to if fighting regain: How far have you drifted? What was the original weight goal (realistically)? Did you change anything to cause the weight gain? Any life changes (health, job, relationships,etc)? Can you go back to basics (protein and vegetables only to test for weight loss ) or reset for a week? What is your protein intake? What is your vegetables /fruit intake? What is your carb intake? Do you have hidden calories (too much sugars, carbs, condiments, slider foods) ? Are you drinking your calories ( juice, soda alcohol) ? What is your Water/zero cal fluid intake ? Safe journey again! VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 167

an elevated level of ketone in the blood. Ketone is formed by ketogenesis when the liver glycogen stores are depleted and a process called lipolysis starts. Non medical terms = your body begins to use fat for energy and ketones are formed. Look up ketosis in google for some great in depth article. One way your body gets rid of ketones is through your lungs. It's like the alcohol smell, you can't get rid of it you just have to cover it up. Anyone who is loosing wt is making some and one way to test for them is the urin strips discussed above. Don't be worried its a good sign. It will go away when your wt stabilizes. My wife does not like the smell so I end up chewing a lot of gum.

I am 2 months post op. I am sad to say I was craving coffee so bad yesterday and stopped to get me an iced latte at McDonalds with fat free milk and sugar free vanilla syrup. I felt so guilty for drinking caffeine (they didn't offer it in decaf). I don't smoke anymore (smoked for 17 years) don't drink pop or alcohol. Needed something to unwind from a stressful day at work. Now worried I will make that a bad habit!!

See the liver doc - it could be non alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver or it could be adjustment but don't ignore it. My dads liver cancer was caught very early by someone noticing his counts were off and not ignoring it. I'm not trying to scare you but i would err on the side of caution. My counts are fine but my doc said my liver was 2.5x the size of a normal liver and that I should go see a doc. I'm going.

My surgeon would *like* his patients to wait one year. He fully acknowledges that it is probably the one rule he makes that most people break. I'm not a big drinker, so I don't anticpate any problems. I'm sure it will be quite a while before I attempt to drink anything with alcohol.

My dr told me to wait at least 3 months to have alcohol and to be very careful because it affects you differently after surgery. Obviously it should be very moderate during losing phase due to the empty calories in alcohol.

Sounds like enabler behavior to me. My sister in law is like that; no surprise that her husband is an alcoholic. She constantly pushes food at my husband and me, brings stuff over to our house, tries to tempt us with stuff we shouldn't eat when we visit her. I don't really understand the behavior--maybe I should read a book. But for some reason she feels better if she can feed her family's addictions.

Depends on who your psych is. Mine consisted of a few assessments (questions with Likert-like scale answers) and an interview about my eating, substance/alcohol use, family relationships, stress, support system, understanding of surgery, pre-op diet, etc. Because i regularly see a therapist, they also asked if they could talk to them about my level of preparedness for surgery. I'm a therapist, too... so i had no problem doing that and having a convo with my therapist about what my boundaries were.

Abby - Northern California Kaisers are in their infancy in regards to the lap band. I know, I went through the SSF Kaiser program and was banded 12/12/07. They've been at is a little over a year. This is why most of their recommendations and information is spill over from gastric bypass stuff. You need to do your own research so that you can peel the GB stuff away and find out what you need to do. Lap band patients aren't effected by alcohol like GB patients are. Alcohol no matter what form it is consumed in is still empty calories and if used more than occassionally will prevent your weight loss from being good if at all. But one of the nice things is you can plan a nice cool one into your day and enjoy it. I think that the reason your boyfriend might not be on board is because he may be afraid that you won't like/love him when you loose weight. As obese people we tend to have low self-esteme. He might also be afraid that you will try to pressure him into getting the surgery. You have to decide to do this because it's what you want to do and not because someone else approves or disapproves. If your relationship is good, it will survive. If it's not good, this might be the excuse he needs to leave or for you to leave him. Only you can answer that one. My DH was afraid for me because it was surgery and he didn't know how WLS worked. He went with me to my appointments and a seminar and learned what there was to know. He still sweated the surgery but he is so happy I'm finally loosing the weight and active again. He's been so supportive. Sit down and write out why you want to loose weight. Put on the list how it will affect your kids lives as well. Then do a list of why you shouldn't have the surgery. Then compare them. I'm so sorry about your friend. I am so happy that the lapband was an option for me because I think GB should be put in the category of only to be done if nothing else can help. It scares me. PM me if you want. I know how frustrating Kaiser's programs can be from first hand experience. They are so slow because they are so overwhelmed with the number of people wanting WLS. There are only 3 Kaisers in No. Cal doing the surgeries. I think there is less in So. Cal. Until they get more hospitals on board they will be buried. Good luck and whatever you do, do it for you.

I waited until I was about 4 months out (my doc said 3-6 months). I drink pretty much whatever I want, obviously in moderation. I've had beer, wine, mixed drinks, etc. The carbonation in beer can cause a little discomfort, I usually drink a wheat beer like blue moon that isn't highly carbonated and I always drink out of a glass. Alcohol (especially mixed with high-calorie mixers like fruit juices) is TOTAL empty calories, so most surgeons warn against drinking during the weight loss phase. It can also lead to crossover addictions, so be cautious. I'm a social drinker and haven't noticed that it has impacted my weight loss at all (I don't even bother tracking/logging my drinking on MFP) so each person may have different experiences with it.

Okay thanks. I know a alot about liquor (well at least my favorite ones) including the caloric content. I was a gym rat a few years ago and I googled all of my favorite drinks for the alcohol content. Can't remember the exact numbers but it was like 1000 cals for one of my favorite drinks depending on the size. I'm not a big drinker, just was interested on how it affects some, and if there was a "list' on here. I was watching someones youtube, and she still felt the liquor the next day, but she was drinking at 4 weeks out so I'm sure it would be different later. I guess there's only one way to find out.

I've had wine and champagne. Just some sips, not the whole glass. Also, I was at least 4 1/2, maybe 5 months out. I've only done it a few times on special occations. Oh, last weekend I had a chocolate martini! ... well, about three sips of one! But it was good! It was at a comedy club! I don't really want the emply calories and I've never been much of a drinker so If it turned out I could not have any alcohol at all, I would be fine with it. As long as I get my sleeve!!! :-)

I overcame my fear and went to a family graduation party last night that involved a ton of food and alcohol. I didn't test anything except Arby's roast beef, no bun and a small bit of potato salad since I knew I stomach mashed potatoes pretty well. All good. My fam kept offering me alcohol and I kept turning it down while I sipped my water. No way was I going to try it then attempt to drive home. I had a good time and glad I went. Baby steps

I was sleeved on the same day as you. First day was tough but every day since then has been wonderful. I'm so glad that I had the surgery. I now have a stomach 'stop' button. I used to hate myself for being so greedy but I couldn't help myself. I've got an addictive personality and have managed to give up alcohol and cigarettes but food......... - no. I tried everything. My doctor suggested 'portion control'! Yeh, right! As I live in the UK our National Health Service wouldn't even entertain the idea of letting me have the op as I wasn't heavy enough. I had a hip replaced this time last year and I reckoned that I was going to have to have my knees replaced sooner rather than later as I was in agony with the arthritis in them. My cholesterol is high, as is my blood pressure. My doctor was concerned about my blood sugar levels but the NHS saw no good reason for something that would ultimately save them a fortune to be performed on this fatty! I went off to Belgium and paid for the surgery myself-well my husband did-and it's the best money ever spent. I am a very happy sleever.

You have already identified the issue. Now you need to address it by cutting back on the alcohol and the situations were it is tempting. Can you do social events that are not about drinking? And if drinking is going on cut the consumption. I drink coffee daily and have wine on occasion. I do not use carbonated beverages. It is possible to lose weight with coffee and very limited alcohol but you need to plan it in to the overall calorie consumption. 2-7 drinks 4-5 times a week is probably 600 to 5000 calories a week at least. It also usually lowers resistant to the bad Snacks usually available at social occasions. It will make weight loss slower and impede progress. Are you ok with slow or almost non existent weight loss? Alcohol will be used as fuel in your body and so real food may get stored if you consume too many alcohol calories. Also alcohol goes to the liver so you will get the abdominal fat there. And of course it is empty calories with no nutrition in it so you will still be hungry for nutritional food. You also have to decide how much do you want to lose the 40 more pounds? More than you want to drink or go to those social occasions? It's up to you to decide. When I do drink socially I have to choose if I want a drink or 2 of if I want to eat my calories. I say to myself "I can eat or I can drink and I choose to drink" I also learned the hard way to drink a glass of Water between each drink. I am a woman and in maintenance so I have a little more flexibility than you do right now. I still drink less than once per month and always plan the calories in. I did that in Weight loss mode too but I had to eat less in those days. You have to ask yourself - what is more important, keeping off the 80 pounds or gaining it back? Losing 40 more or choosing the status quo and hopefully keep the 80 off. It's all up to you.

ive had my 4th fill, and i can eat EVERYTHING too. the only prob i had was i had a tiny bit of mexican food and 3 sips of a margarita last week and forgot and used a straw ( A big no no, it can introduce air in to your stomach ) I threw up my whole dinner, im pretty sure it was from the straw , as ive had mexican and a margarita since being banded. so enjoy your foods just dont use a straw and be very careful of alcohol as some are more sensitive to it after being banded.

I think these things about myself too. I find myself correcting myself from "I should" "I would" to saying "I will." At least you aware of your demons cause then you can confront them head on. I have had some time to correct a few things because I am type 2 diabetic and not on insulin I have to MAKE myself, and sometimes fail, not gorge on something like Chinese - it is self correcting because I hate the feeling of being "sugar drunk." Or I can't eat too many carbs but trust me when I say I am fat cause I still make bad choices like how am I going to give up butter?????? And no straw?? And no diet mountain dew? We get all caught up in these unhealthy habits and it is going to take some undoing after surgery. Some of it will be self-correcting, I bet. I don't know. I am in the same boat, though, surgery is Sept 18 for me. And of course, here is me saying, go eat that chinese if you can for just this moment. I miss chinese food, especiall Thai. Good for you for kicking tobacco and alcohol. You must have a pretty strong determination if you got past those things.

I'm so mad I could spit, and part of the problem is me! I filled the doctor's prescription for the blood thinner injections before my surgery. I was handed a brown paper bag. It felt like a box; I didn't even look at it. (I know, I know. This is where it's also my fault!) Got home from the hospital today, looked in the paper bag and all I saw was several individually packaged syringes inside a plastic baggie. That was bad enough. There was no alcohol swipes or anything to cleanse the injection site before giving the shot. WTF Do they expect me to just jab myself? So I phoned the pharmacy and was told, "Oh, we don't provide any of the wipes. We just offer the syringes." (In a tone of voice that distinctly sounded like "sucks to be you!".) Obviously, they won't take them back so I can fill the prescription elsewhere. Guess this is more of a rant than anything else. Did everyone else receive their syringes this way?

My therapist (who I got to help combat my food issues) said cravings usually last 30 mins or less. Try to keep that in mind when you are craving something. I think you are like me. I am going to have to be very careful around certain foods (carb heavy hitters like bread and pasta for me). If I start, I won't stop. Kind of like an alcoholic in recovery. Some people can have a little bit and not suffer from "withdrawals", but if I were to have a little bit then my cravings spike and can spin out of control fast. My recommendations: 1. Track what you are eating in an app if possible cause sometimes that will help reign it in 2. Wait 30 mins when craving something and drink water. Go for a walk or pick an activity to distract you. After 30 mins, see how you are feeling and what your body may really be after (protein/more water/?) 3. Try to find healthy substitutes for what you are wanting. Pizza? Find a low carb recipe that tastes good and fills that urge. Sweets? Are some sugar free options or low carb options a possibility? 4. Journal and track when these cravings are happening. What's going on when they do? Are you stressed/bored/angry? Are you around others who are eating things you want? Are you out of the house and having to do fast food as quick options? Etc. See where your weak points are and then start identifying ways to help deal with them. 5. Get a supportive therapist to help you deal with your mindset around food. You can outeat wls. For many of us, this is going to be a lifelong addiction that we can defeat but will always have to be mindful of.